Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted by Lindsey Naylor

What does it mean to “Be Orange”?

When I asked Oregon State students this question, I received quite a few different answers. But the answers mostly centered around these concepts:

• Being committed to and loyal to Oregon State University and what it represents to the students and the community
• Following and supporting Oregon State University Sports teams
• Being a dedicated Oregon State University student

In the media, Oregon State University is known primarily for our football team. Secondly, we are known for our academics. However, someone who isn’t affiliated with Oregon State will have no knowledge of the ethics and values that are important within our community.

The leaders of Oregon State University have created a list of core values that we need to demonstrate in order to build a successful community. The values are accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility. If we were to truly incorporate all of these values into our daily lives, our community would be an incredible place. However, even though this is a great plan, if no one is participating, nothing is going to change. I think the most important thing that we can focus on at OSU is the way we interact with each other.

I would like to see Oregon State become known for the way we treat each other; I want “orange” to mean kindness. By kindness, I mean putting others before yourself and keeping an eye out for someone who needs a hand. In the future, if I ask someone what it means to be “orange”, I want them to say something like, “looking out for each another” or “helping someone in need”.

So, how can we create a kind, accepting, non-discriminating community at OSU? 

The best way to spread a message in today’s society is through social media. What we need to do is get a group of people who are passionate for this cause to create memes, write in their blogs, and post on their facebooks and twitter accounts. That way, all of their friends that go to Oregon State can be aware of what we’re trying to accomplish and they can get involved.

The message that we want to get across is that being kind to others doesn’t have to be a huge effort, but can make a huge difference. People in the OSU community can make small changes in their daily routine to be kind to everyone they come into contact with throughout the day.

Examples of small ways to be kind to others:

• Stopping your car to let a pedestrian cross the road when they aren’t at a crosswalk
• Paying for the coffee of the customer behind you at a coffee shop
• Be actively looking everywhere you go for people who could use a hand
• Giving a “pat on the back” to someone else who does something kind
• Smile at people when you pass them on the sidewalk
• Opening a door for the person walking behind you

The more people we can get to embrace being kind to others, the further and faster our message will spread.